Conferences Books

I hike the Hacklebarney trails almost daily and was interested to read Petty's description of this most beautiful place. He captures the hike succinctly and accurately. I brought this book home from the library and after reading a few of the hike descriptions I decided I must have this book.

This would make a great welcome gift to new neighbors in the Highlands area.

So much more than a typical Point "A" to "B" hiking guide,George is an astute observer of all things around him as he traverses the wonderful trails of the Highlands. He is not only an expert on the local botany, he discourses on the fauna as well, while commenting on the surrounding topography and geology. If you are a beginning or a seasoned hiker in North New Jersey, I urge to purchase this book.....you're gonna love it.

George Petty is a naturalist at Weiss Ecology Center in Ringwood and a long time hiker. His book includes 35 hikes with maps, photos, directions to the trails by car and by public transportation, trail overviews with information on the area's history, forests and geology, and wildlife and plants.

Petty describes a dozen "Starter Hikes", including Pyramid Mountain in Kinnelon and Ringwood Manor in Ringwood. He writes that the three-mile Manor Loop is "a pleasant family woodland walk, with a sprinkling of wildflowers at all green seasons, and migrating birds on Sally's Pond."

Petty includes eleven "Longer Hikes, Climbs, and Scrambles" including steep trails in Norvin Green State Forest in Ringwood, Wanaque, West Milford and Bloomingdale; Long Pond Ironworks State Park in West Milford; and Wawayanda State Park in West Milford and Vernon.

Finally, Petty describes a dozen "Challenges" featuring strenuous hikes, including Abram S. Hewitt State Forest in West Milford with spectacular views of Greenwood Lake. (One of my favorite hiking memories is resting on a rock above the lake and watching a hawk laboriously flying across the water 500 feet below me. Suddlenly it hit a thermal, stopped flapping its wing, and rose effortlessly past me, not five feet away. Thrilling!)

Petty's goal was provide "an introduction to recreational hiking in the Highlands develop support for the continued protection of its water resources." He includes a 16-page color insert of photos of wildflowers found along the trails to buttress his argument and the goals of this superb guide.

Petty is a New York-New Jersey Trail Conference trail maintainer, and this is first guide focussing on exploring the Highlands region's trails, forests and watercourses. My sales pitch for supporting the Conference appears in the first Comment, as does a description of the Weiss Ecology Center. Petty's book of poetry is Boulder Field, which has received several favorable reviews here on Amazon and elsewhere.

Robert C. Ross 2008

This is a very useful guide to the trails of the NJ Highlands. New and old trails are well-covered, including the Highlands Trail, and there are very informative sections on the region's geology, plants, and animals.

This book will help you find out if you are an addict it will teach you the steps and tradition of this fine group of Narcotics annonymous

this book helped save my life, along with a Higher Power,a sponsor, and a 12 step program!!
thanks NA!! (9/17/94)

I am a drug addict and I am 16 years old. I haven't read this cover to cover but I do know that it is a wonderful book and it has helped many of my frinds. I love you Narcotics anonymous.

This book is a must have for the Addict. Recovery is possible by following simple program. This book could save your life.

Whether you want to get a more steady form of Prayer, or if you just want to grow closer to God, this book is one of the best ways to do it. I first encountered this "Four Week Psalter" when I was on a Retreat, and the first time I prayed it, I immediately fell in love with it's beauty and incredible simplicity.

This book will help you to enhance your Prayer Life through a lovley, shorter form of the Liturgy of the Hours.

If you liked this book, see my review forDrink of the Stream: Prayers of Carmelites

The Four-Week Psalter provides a rythm of prayer.It is rich & draws one into the presence of God. Come, Lord Jesus~

The book contains the morning, evening, and night prayers of the Liturgy of Hours which are the Catholic Church's only required prayers for those clergy and religious men and women active in the apostolate, as opposed to the monastics who have to pray more. However, this book is also good for lay people who desire a structured way of praying that resonates, echoes, and harmonizes with the prayers of monks, nuns, priests, and religious men and women today and throughout the centuries all over the globe. The book is handy, easy to read and follow, and leatherette bound. A good gift also for people who are spiritually serious.

There are many forms of prayer. This little book provides the kick-start, spiritually, for more formal and regular prayer-living. Centered on the psalms and holy scripture, any Christian or person interested in Christian prayer life can gain much for a small dollar investment. By one and get one for your closest friend. Pray together!

This book was an excellent source of information. The maps were also helpful for planning out my mileage for my weekend adventures.

I've used previous editions of this guide, but the 16th edition includes validated GPS data and is certainly the best of a very good lot. The package includes a guidebook, with detailed trail descriptions for the 174 miles from Kent, Connecticut, to Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area on the New Jersey-Pennsylvania line. There are also four waterproof color maps (scale: 1 inch = 1 mile) which show the A.T., other trails in the area, and roads used to access the trails.

My favorite hike in this book includes the Agony Grind on the west side of the entrance to Harriman Park, just off Old 17. There's a short, fairly steep scramble up to a long ridge walk above Greenwood Lake with great views -- you can often see hawks flapping across the lake far below you, and then rising effortless just out of reach on the thermals formed by the ridge. It's a rewarding out and in hike, of whatever length you have time for. Save a little energy for a careful descent at the end of the hike.

There are other excellent local guides to New Jersey and New York trails. The New Jersey Walk Book: A Companion to the New York Walk Book and the New York Walk Book: A Companion to the New Jersey Walk Book are the pick of the litter.

Nonetheless it is romantic to use one of a series covering the entire Appalachian Trail. One can pretend to be an End to Ender of this most famous of our trails.

Robert C. Ross 2007 2008

If the reader is really serious about hiking the A.T., specifically the N.Y. /N.J. section, this book, along with the 6 very detailed maps that come with it, will be a tremendous help, with all the relevant information all packed into a (large)pocket-sized paperback.
In addition to very interesting facts behind the history and the beginnings of the AT, the information found in this book will guide you, almost hold your hand along the trail and, it will then be up to you to listen to the wisdom, advice and warnings found here or, ignore them and find out -the hard way- why only 10% of the people who attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail will finish it in a year.
Where can you find water?; where are you not allowed to camp?; is it safe to hike alone?;can you take your dog with you? (NO!). Statistically speaking, did you know that you will be safer hiking the entire A.T., than walking the streets of most large american cities?
These and many other topics, too numerous to mention here, are dealt with in this volume.
Having all of that information ahead of time will make it (just a little) easier to put on your backpack, lug your 3 liters of water needed daily, consume the 4000 calories of food needed every day and.....in about 6 months time you will have arrived at your destination, very tired, much thinner and, much wiser.

I did a southbound A.T. thru-hike this year (trail name "Mercury", if you were wondering), and I carried the 2007 edition of the Thru-Hiker's Companion with me (having received it as a Christmas present last year). With its detailed listings of trail features (shelters, campsites, water, road crossings, locations of grocery stores and towns, among others), this book was easily the most useful item of non-gear I carried. It's small and compact enough that it's not unreasonable to carry the entire thing, but it's also designed to be ripped into sections if you'd rather carry less weight. It's clear and concise, with a minimum of unnecessary detail -- what you need plus the occasional cultural note, and nothing more. The details it gives will be extremely important in resupplying, determining how much water must be carried (excepting summertime when sources begin to dry up) and where to stop each day, and just stopping off the trail for a good meal or a place to stay. The trail's well-marked enough that you don't need a map, so you'll need an idea of where things are along it, and this book does the job superbly. Beware: this isn't an A.T. how-to; get this book, but if you're a relative backpacking novice, get another book designed for that purpose too.

I concur with the previous commenter who said to get the most recent edition. My 2007 edition was usable, but I found a number of places where businesses (and occasionally shelters) along the trail no longer existed, including once when I discovered such a closure after an extra mile of walking at the end of the day. There's no reason to get an older version when a newer version is just as easy to get and will be more accurate.

If I had to cut my gear for an Appalachian Trail hike down to two items, I would carry water and the Companion. Seriously, I would take the Companion with me even on section hikes, and possibly even on a day hike.

After a long week of hiking up and down mountains and seeing nothing but trees, leaves, mud, rain, snow and the occasional deer, the Companion will keep you motivated by telling you just how far you have left to go before you can get a pizza or an all you can eat buffet. (After your first few weeks out, you'll really begin to appreciate the importance of a good all you can eat buffet!) Or a shower. And you probably need one by now.

After spending four months out on the A.T. this year and comparing notes with other hikers, I found that the Companion was the most accurate guide of its kind. The ATC even posts updates on its Web site, which you can check when you get to a town. But be warned, you're best off to take the current year's Companion. Many things change along the Trail from one year to the next, and people who carried previous years' editions sometimes got confused by the changes.

Also bring a plastic bag to keep it in. Mine got wet several times and while it's worse for wear (and lost the front cover) it's still serviceable. Though I would rather have kept it dry.

This slender little tome (along with the slimmer and somewhat less informative Appalachian Trail Data Book 2008) are absolute essentials for those considering the thru hike, or even a shorter hike. Chock full of essential information such as issues on the trail, post offices, hotels, etc. There is a trail description with features and services by state, miles from Springer and from Katahdin and elevations in readily available grid form, followed by a more detailed, really useful description of each feature listed. Invaluable. My advice to you: don't leave home without it!

I read this one cover to cover in record time. It had some excellent points to discuss before marriage that may help to avoid serious problems later. The author is objective, open minded, and knowledgeable. After reading this, you might find the person with the solution to your problem is in the mirror.

My friend who was wed in Las Vegas after a two-week whirlwind courtship recommended this book to me before I was married. Needless to say her marriage did not last, but she knew this book could help my future husband and I discuss the things that she and her husband did not. Make sure you get your partner to read at least parts of the book if not the whole thing so they have a better understand how serious the discussion needs to be, because their perspective is really critical.

This book isn't just for Catholics. It applies to all faiths and even has a chapter on interfaith marriages and the discourse that need to take place to help buffer some of the obstacles to come.

This book reads very quickly and is filled with insight. It is a must for any couple to be married, especially if you do not plan on any other marriage preparation.

This book gets you ready for marriage and helps your marriage. I'd recommend this book for anyone getting ready to marry or is married.

With the ACC expansion, it's a good idea to take a look back and see where the league has been to get an idea of where its going. "Border Wars: The First Fifty Years of Atlantic Coast Conference Football" does a fine job of detailing the first 50 years of ACC football. It's an unbiased, mostly season by season account of football only.

It's nice to read a book about the ACC that is NOT basketball centric. The book begins in 1953 and ends with the 2003 season. The format is to simply detail the events of the eras and seasons. Some chapters are detail one season only. There is one whole chapter devoted to Clemson's 1981 national title team, another devoted to G. Tech's national title in 1990. Other chapters report more on eras, highlighting the dominant team(s) in that era, like the chapter on the "Two team league from '82-89" about Maryland and Clemson's great 80's teams.

The book is very fair to Clemson, but just reading it will give you greater appreciation for the history of Maryland, UNC and Tech football. S. Carolina is barely mentioned, except for detailing why they left the ACC. The 90's dominance of Florida St. is told in an even-handed way as well.

The book would make a great read for yourself, or a holiday gift for an older person who lived through those years or a younger student who needs to know about great Duke teams, the Maryland conference dominance of the early 70's and why the 80's were so special for a Clemson fan.

The author discusses Clemson's probation fairly. There isn't a lot of prose in this book. It mostly gives details about coaches, teams, seasons, players and universities. Fortunately, there isn't a lot of nonsense about stadiums, fans, adminsitrations, or any other goofy controversies that we like to waste much of out time on. The book is just about football and for that reason alone I highly reccommend it.

Fun and easy to read, fascinating insights into an interesting conference and their football history.

The best Atlantic Coast Conference football history book that has ever come out......Powell does not place more emphasis on one school over another, and it is clear that he has done a massive amount of research.

This book is a MUST HAVE for longtime Atlantic Coast Conference football fans, and for fans of Florida State, you can relive all the glory years of the 90s in full detail with this book!

Both my finance and I have a hard time putting this book down. It is a book for every occassion and is almost always, able to provide a prayer or blessing that is right on the mark. A great diversity of prayers for just about any occasion. A great wedding gift or for friends.

A necessity for all Catholic households. There is a blessing for just about anything you need.

This book is ESSENTIAL for every Catholic Family, right alongside the Holy Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church! This book is a treasure of prayers and blessings to help make each and every day a prayerful, holy one, and there are blessings for just about anything and every situation/event. It is just as appropriate for singles or early married years as it is for families with children.
The Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers Book is our favorite choice for weddings, anniversaries and Christmas gifts!

The proceedings really have 1876 pages, but they are divided into two volumes. The first volume has 944 pages, the remaining pages are in the second volume. Make sure you get the two volumes!

The proceedings really have 1876 pages, but they are divided into two volumes. The first volume has 944 pages, the remaining pages are in the second volume. Make sure you get the two volumes!

"The 1999 Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference (GECCO-99) combines the longest running conference in evolutionary computation (ICGA) and the world's two largest EC conferences (GP and ICGA) to create a unique opportunity to bring together the best in research in the growing field of genetic and evolutionary computation (GEC).

"The GECCO conference continues the tradition of the GP and ICGA conferences of bringing together researchers from the entire spectrum of research in evolutionary computation, including genetic algorithms, classifier systems, genetic programming, evolvable hardware, DNA and molecular computing, evolutionary strategies, evolutionary programming, artificial life, adaptive behavior, agents, as well as real-world applications of all of these areas." - from the publisher.

The relentless high quality of the many papers in this book make it delightful and thought-provoking. (My copy is 944 pages - not "1876" as Amozon has it.)

I liked this songbook because it has such a variety of songs. It's got some of my favorites, such as "God Bless America," "The Star Spangled Banner," "Michael Row the Boat Ashore," "Amazing Grace," and "This Land is Your Land." If you like these kinds of songs, then I reccomend Get America Singing...AGAIN.

I teach general music in a Marine Corps dependents' elementary school in Okinawa, Japan. I use this songbook and its companion, volume 2 constantly in my curriculum. I consider them to be at the core of my teaching. These are songs that every American should know. They are a part of our common history, our culture, our heritage.
These books were first suggested to me by a junior high choir teacher colleague who knew that I was interested in the Core Knowledge series by E.D. Hirsch. Thanks, Karen.

This is the book that will sit on your piano and when teachers ask for the basic songs that we grew up with, here they all are.
It is a melody line and chord symbols, but that's enough!
No high tech, just music , and the kids like the songs and they are in easy keys.
I highly recommend this book! Great for the price.
There is an accompaniment book as well.